The Olympics

[billmoseley]

Well the games are over the medals are won. Forget the politics what a great games so much fun laughter smiles and tears just what sport should be. well done to the sportsmen, organisers, tv, and spectators. i have enjoyed it so much. lets just for a while be proud of what Britain has done

[Rheghead]

Yeah, what a great games it was. A more sobering thought is that we are back to the usual rubbishy sports coverage from now on.

[pmcd]

A worldwide event on a grand scale, and a national event on a human scale. We all proved we could be both competitive and nice to each other. There was true Olympic spirit abroad and on tap. The whole fortnight was just brilliant for morale - and Team GB, the organisers, the volunteers, the Armed Forces - oh yes, and of course the worldwide competitors - deserve a huge vote of thanks for giving this blessed plot its backbone back.

[Corrie 3]

Yes it has been good, I have enjoyed most of it and well done to those taking part. I look forward to the paralympics now, I have great admiration for those taking part and they just show what can be done if you put your mind to it!

Well done to everyone concerned in putting on a great sports meeting of the worlds best!

C3...............:)

[theone]

I thought it was awesome.

A great fortnight, some great stories and something for everyone to be proud of.

If there's one thing we get out of this, I hope it's a generation of youngsters who'll start setting idols famed for hard work and talent.

[Yon Chiel]

Was it worth £11bn (£9bn of which was direct taxpayer's money) ?

[billmoseley]

Was it worth £11bn (£9bn of which was direct taxpayer's money) ?
YES. but this thread isn't here to discuss that it's to celebrate some thing good so leave those type of comments for other threads.

[Rheghead]

Watching the closing ceremony, as for dress sense, the changling from Space 1999 springs to mind. [lol]

[focusRS]

Best games I have seen. The athletes were excellent and the whole spectacle was miles above my expectations. Awaiting the Paralympics now with bated breath.

[Yon Chiel]

YES. but this thread isn't here to discuss that it's to celebrate some thing good so leave those type of comments for other threads.


Well let's celebrate £500 being taken from every taxpayer in this country to pay for this at a time when supposedly the country is broke and has no money for the basics.

And we were told in the original bid it would cost £2bn to the taxpayer.

[rogermellie]

i'd happily have paid £500 for the spice girls and liam gallagher to stay at home tonight, eric idle has lifted my spirits though, gawd bless him !

excellent olympics, worth every penny

[theone]

Well let's celebrate £500 being taken from every taxpayer in this country to pay for this at a time when supposedly the country is broke and has no money for the basics.


I'll celebrate the olympics as a success and enjoy it.

£9 Billion cost to the tax payer you say?

A bargain compared to the £850 Billion to bail out the banks. £76 Billion to RBS and Lloyds alone.

Perspective.

[squidge]

I have loved it and the best thing of all was seeing the athletes compete for the love and the glory and not the money. I have laughed and cried watching it - time will tell whether it is money well spent but tonight its immaterial. Tonight we should just celebrate!!!

[Dialyser]

Enjoyed every minute of it from start to finish. Spectacular opening and closing ceremonies, money well spent in my opinion.

Well done to the organisers, athletes and everyone else involved in making such a memorable event.

[Kevin Milkins]

A great finish to a great event.
What came as a worry to me, was the Queen, Prince William, or Prince Charles in attendance? I had a drink or two and thought, are we going to awake to some bad news tomorrow?

I would have liked to seen Sir Tom instead of Russell Brand, but you cant have all.

[Yon Chiel]

the athletes compete for the love and the glory

So why is the use of erythropoietin amongst competitors so prevalent ? The doping testers now admit that they can't keep up with detecting it because there are so many copycat versions of the drug available and being taken. It has been growing in usage over the past couple of decades and its detection came to a peak at the Bejing Olympics with scores of competitors being sent home or stripped of medals. This then created a huge market for EPO drugs with subtle variations so that there was very little chance of the testers being able to detect every single one. You can by them online for £20 - there's more varieties than Heinz.

[squidge]

So why is the use of erythropoietin amongst competitors so prevalent ? The doping testers now admit that they can't keep up with detecting it because there are so many copycat versions of the drug available and being taken. It has been growing in usage over the past couple of decades and its detection came to a peak at the Bejing Olympics with scores of competitors being sent home or stripped of medals. This then created a huge market for EPO drugs with subtle variations so that there was very little chance of the testers being able to detect every single one. You can by them online for £20 - there's more varieties than Heinz.

I have no idea and quite frankly Yon chiel I dont care.

If you weren't moved by seeing Mo Farrar run the race of his life, or the wee lassie from Leeds win not only the gold in the women's boxing but the acceptance of womens boxing as an olympic sport - or seeing women compete from countries where even participating in sport is frowned upon, or the wee lithuanian lassie win the swimming and be lost for words, or the lad who put off his wedding and won gold and then ummed and ahhed through his inerview with Gary Lineker because he was so overwhelmed, or the man who ran his section of the relay with a broken leg, or the judo (?) lassie mouth to the heavens I love you mum, or chris hoy's mum be so agonised by watching that she had to ask if he had won before saying "Oh thank god" then thats your loss. To see people for whom this was EVERYTHING, what they have strived for, worked for and agonised over for sometimes YEARS finally achieve their goal was inspiring and moving. We watch a bunch of sour faced prima donnas every week in our thousands and they pale into insignificance in comparison to the performances and committment of some of these athletes.

As for the cost? It has been massively expensive - The issues that concern me most are the cost of the debacle over security and the legacy. Whether it was truly worth it will depend on the legacy that follows this olympic games and we wont know that for some time.

[Yon Chiel]

As for the cost? It has been massively expensive... Whether it was truly worth it will depend on the legacy that follows this olympic games

There is an extensive body of commercial and academic research that all come to exactly the same conclusion - the only economic gain to the host country comes during the construction phase when the money for that aspect gives a boost to that industry. And most of that goes to overseas companies. Therefore it would be much better to spend the £9bn (remember that is nine thousand millions!) on public capital works that give direct benefit back to the economy. There is no legacy. (Unless you're Seb Coe and get all your fees paid in such a way that avoids paying tax.)

[squidge]

Then you will be right Yon Chiel but that doesnt take away from the fact that I have loved it. I think the money most definitely could have been better spent but I think it has been a delight to watch. The bruce has complained about the cost and written to various people to air his complaints and have his voice heard but even he has enjoyed the sporting achievements and the personal endeavour of the sportsmen and women. You can seperate the two and we need to work very hard to ensure that lessons are learned in readiness for the commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2014

[Kevin Milkins]

Liam Gallagher, Russell Brand, George Michael, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell...

Christ, it's a good job they don't do drug tests for the closing ceremony...

[oldmarine]

Well the games are over the medals are won. Forget the politics what a great games so much fun laughter smiles and tears just what sport should be. well done to the sportsmen, organisers, tv, and spectators. i have enjoyed it so much. lets just for a while be proud of what Britain has done

I enjoyed the olympics regardless of whom won the most medals.

[oldmarine]

Then you will be right Yon Chiel but that doesnt take away from the fact that I have loved it. I think the money most definitely could have been better spent but I think it has been a delight to watch. The bruce has complained about the cost and written to various people to air his complaints and have his voice heard but eveen he has enjoyed the sporting achievements and the personal endeavour of the sportsmen and women. You can seperate the two and we need to work very hard to ensure that lessons are learned in readiness for the commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2014

I questioned the participants earning money. That nearly makes them professional and makes it questionable about amateur.

[Yon Chiel]

I questioned the participants earning money. That nearly makes them professional and makes it questionable about amateur.

Amateurs ??? Jeepers, no. Take Andy Murray as a prime example - he's earned over £15m in prize money in the past few years. Chris Hoy takes over half a million a year out of a company he set up to coin in his sponsorship money (and therefore avoiding national insurance payments). These people are big earners.

[sassylass]

I miss the days when only amateur athletes could participate in the Olympics. Professionals take the the fun out of it, IMO.

[ducati]

Poor Brazilians!

I understand that the Beach Volleyball will be on Copa Cabhana beach. Horseguards Parade is going to take some beating. [lol]

[George Brims]

Liam Gallagher, Russell Brand, George Michael, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell...

Christ, it's a good job they don't do drug tests for the closing ceremony...
Comment of the week!

[oldmarine]

Amateurs ??? Jeepers, no. Take Andy Murray as a prime example - he's earned over £15m in prize money in the past few years. Chris Hoy takes over half a million a year out of a company he set up to coin in his sponsorship money (and therefore avoiding national insurance payments). These people are big earners. e

Shouldn't that kind of money make those big earners professionals? I remember when it used to be that way.

[oldmarine]

I miss the days when only amateur athletes could participate in the Olympics. Professionals take the the fun out of it, IMO.

We agree on this one.

[Oddquine]

I miss the days when only amateur athletes could participate in the Olympics. Professionals take the the fun out of it, IMO.

Which was the biggest part of the reason I have heard/seen none of it bar the snippets which turned up on Radio 4 between 9am and 6pm...I haven't watched it since professionals started to become involved.

[theone]

I miss the days when only amateur athletes could participate in the Olympics. Professionals take the the fun out of it, IMO.

I definitely agree with that when it comes to football, basketball players, boxers etc, the big earners, but what about the swimmers, runners, gymnasts etc? Is it possible to compete at that level whilst having a "day job" on the side?

[Southern-Gal]

Does nobody question just how much the Olympics has had spent on it?
On the childrens 'Newsround' the other day the presenter was going on about all the medals and why the UK had an amazing year, it is apparently 'all down to cold, hard cash'.
On another news item the price of each medal was itemised some of the medals have cost on average 3 million or 4 million, depending on the sport.
I know that the Olympics has its good points but if what the presenters are saying is true then for the last four years money has been frittered left, right and centre for medals whilst the whole UK has been going through its most dramatic spending cuts known for a long time and people are going without dental treatment, hospital treatment, people are having to accept pay cuts or job losses all in the name of getting the country back on its feet whilst the same country blows millions on winning a few medals.
How is spending money on a select few fair whilst the rest of the country goes without the basics?
We could still have staged the Olympics here and taken part with talent we already had and had a moderate or even meagre amount of success. We are after all taught it is not the winning but the taking part.
So any revenue earned from hosting the Olympics would still have come our way without spending millions for four years solid on pot hunting some medals.
It is hardly a fair playing field anyway, some countries are unable to even pay for their athletes air fares!
So now it has turned into which country is prepared to pay for the medals now :(
I cant believe the country is not in uproar with the news blatantly telling us that whilst the country is in a massive recession there is money to play with.

[theone]

Does nobody question just how much the Olympics has had spent on it?

Many of the posts on the first page discuss the cost!

[Corrie 3]

Many of the posts on the first page discuss the cost!
Sorry to go off topic.....Can you empty your inbox theone?...Thanks!

C3.............;)